Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
714. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether a national dataset exists measuring biodiversity outcomes within State-owned forestry, including metrics such as species richness, habitat condition, or conservation status; and if not, whether he will commit to establishing such a dataset. [32669/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra715. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the most recent year in which a comprehensive national ecological assessment of biodiversity within plantation forestry was conducted; whether an updated study equivalent to the BIOFOREST project has been commissioned or is planned; and if he will provide a timeline. [32670/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra716. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what proportion of State-owned forestry lands currently meet defined favourable conservation status criteria; the methodology used to determine this; and the most recent assessment date. [32671/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 714, 715 and 716 together.
My Department conducts a comprehensive national ecological assessment of biodiversity within plantation forestry (and other types of forest cover) on a 5-year cycle under the National Forest Inventory (NFI). The NFI is undertaken by my Department primarily to record and assess the extent and nature of Ireland’s forests, both public and private. As part of this, it collects data on numerous attributes that relate to the ecological condition of the sample plots investigated. These attributes include woodland habitat, tree species, vegetative cover and type, deadwood, even/uneven aged, nativeness, tree lichens and the litter and humus layers. The methodology and results of the most recent inventory cycle – completed in 2022 and involving 2,020 individual plots– are posted on my Departments website.
Four NFIs have been completed with results published and work is currently underway on the 5th NFI.
All NFI results are broken down into two ownership classes, private and public. The vast majority of public forest lands are in Coillte ownership.
The conservation status of Ireland’s Annex I woodlands is assessed separately as part of Irelands Article 17 reporting process. Under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, Ireland must report periodically on the conservation status of Annex I habitats and Annex II species represented in this country, and respective trends, pressures and threats. This work is caried out by the NPWS, and the latest report was published in 2025. The 2025 reports give details around the methodology used for the assessments carried out for these reports.
While there have been many research projects involving forestry and biodiversity conducted over the years, there is currently no plan to carry out an updated BIOFOREST project.
In September 2025, Coillte announced that they had reached a goal of 30% of its forest estate being managed primarily for nature by the end of 2025. Coillte has a long term goal to transition 50% of its estate to be managed primarily for nature.
